Despite billions of dollars in annual federal, state and local funds directed toward the maintenance of existing bridges, 69,223 bridges – representing more than 11 percent of total highway bridges in the U.S. – are classified as “structurally deficient,” according to a new report released March 30 by Transportation for America. 

Metropolitan Transportation Commission press release The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) today approved a $10 million anchor commitment through its Transportation for Livable Communities program to establish a new $50 million revolving loan fund for affordable housing developers to finance land acquisition in select locations near rail and bus lines throughout the Bay Area. Other investors in the Bay Area Transit Oriented Affordable Housing Fund include Morgan Stanley and Citi Community Capital, each of which provided $12.5 million; The Ford Foundation and Living Cities, a collaborative of foundations and financial institutions, which invested $3 million each; six community development financial institutions (CDFIs), which combined to contribute $8.5 million; and the San Francisco Foundation, which provided $500,000 plus the 2007 seed funding to develop the fund's business plan.  San Francisco-based Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) will serve as the manager of the Bay…

Transportation for America has release a white paper discussing how to turn existing federal transportation policy into a performance-based transportation program.

Skyrocketing gas prices are expected to drive ever more people to seek alternatives to driving personal automobiles, but those people who want to hop on a bus are likely to find fewer options and a more limited schedule than the last time they tried transit, according to two recently released studies.

According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the arrival of $5-a-gallon gasoline could spur up to 1.5 billion additional passenger trips on U.S. public transportation systems.

But due to shortages in state and local revenues, U.S. public transit systems are carrying out some of the steepest fare increases and deepest service cuts in recent history, according to the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).

Since the beginning of 2009, according to the union, approximately 85 percent of public transit systems have raised fares or cut…

Transport Michigan has found a way to entertain while enlightening people on the fine points of fixed-rail track alignment. As they explain on their blog post:

As the White House and Congress jump-start a dialogue about the next federal surface transportation bill, the Equity Caucus at Transportation for America invites you to join them on Friday, March 18, from 1 pm to 2 pm Eastern for a webinar focused on how to expand mobility and opportunity for all Americans, including low-income people and communities of color, through smart and equitable transportation investments.

The Bus to the Capitol: Promoting Equity in the Next Federal Transportation Bill will feature:

Reprising their characters from the hit series, "Mad Men," actors Vincent Kartheiser and Rich Sommer have teamed up with U.S. PIRG and Funny Or Die to voice their support for high-speed rail in America.

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Accessible Public Transportation is currently conducting a global survey of usability problems on public transit buses.   The survey is open until April 1, 2011. The study investigates getting on and off public buses, circulating inside of buses, understanding the communication and information systems of public buses, as well as issues concerning rider safety.  The information collected from this study should help identify the aspects of using public buses that merit further detailed experimental research in controlled settings.  The survey targets a broad demographic including manufacturers, designers, engineers, researchers and riders (of all abilities). Not only are we interested in learning about the problems faced on public buses, but also in acquiring feedback on participants’ (1) “best practice” experiences with public transportation in cities they have visited and (2) what they envision for the bus of the future.  …